Kylian Mbappe came close to matching unwanted record held by Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid
Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe had a difficult El Clasico debut, as Barcelona stormed to a 4-0 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu on October 27. Mbappe, who missed several clear chances, almost matched an unwanted club record previously held by none other than Cristiano Ronaldo.
Los Blancos entered the LaLiga game just three points behind their rivals, and after a goalless first half, the match intensified in the second period. Barcelona thoroughly dominated Real Madrid, with a brace from Robert Lewandowski and goals from Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, securing a convincing win for the Catalan side.
It was certainly a game to forget for Mbappe, who was consistently caught offside by Barcelona’s high defensive line. This tactic neutralized the Frenchman's threat, as he was flagged offside a staggering eight times and had two goals disallowed.
Having been caught offside eight times in this match alone, the Frenchman has now accumulated 17 offsides in his first 11 games. It is the highest tally among all players in Europe’s top leagues. This places him as the Real Madrid player with the most offsides in the first 10 La Liga games since Cristiano Ronaldo’s 22 in the 2013-14 season.
Mbappe also came close to breaking the record for most offsides by a player in a single game. The highest record stands at 10 (via GOAL). It is shared by Kevin Phillips (for Southampton vs. Wolves in 2004), Steven Savidan (for Valenciennes vs. Sochaux in 2006), and Sergio Pellissier (for Chievo vs. Roma in 2010).
The 25-year-old will, however, hope to achieve the same successes that Ronaldo enjoyed at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Portuguese icon scored 450 goals and contributed 131 assists in just 438 appearances for the club while winning numerous trophies and four Ballon d’Or awards.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti backs Kylian Mbappe following struggles in El Clasico
Carlo Ancelotti was certainly a man under pressure after the game given the nature of the defeat against their arch-rivals. While Real Madrid struggled to deal with Barcelona’s dynamic attack, their own offense - comprising of world-class talents - fell short as well.
Mbappe, in particular, faced criticism due to his struggles against Barcelona’s high line. Ancelotti, however, refrained from criticizing him and instead acknowledged the team’s difficulties in exploiting Barcelona’s defense.
“We were unable to take advantage of their high pressure. Mbappe came close to scoring, sometimes he was offside, but it’s normal with such an outfacing defence. He had three or four chances where he could have scored. Barca have forced 65 offsides so far in LaLiga and we were caught out 12 times. We knew that, but we also had four one-on-ones with the goalkeeper. Unfortunately we didn’t score,” Ancelotti said (via Real Madrid official website)
Despite Mbappe’s struggles against Barcelona, he has started his Real Madrid career in a solid fashion, scoring eight goals and providing two assists in just 14 games. However, he may have to wait for a chance at redemption, as their upcoming away game against Valencia could be postponed due to a storm affecting the city.